The Travelers 1

by Lee Hunnicutt

  Before she could hit him again, he wrapped both arms around her, shook the towel off his face and rolled over so that he was on top of her. She struggled in his arms. It was all he could do to hold her. He shook her and said, “Listen to me! Damn it quit and listen!” She stopped struggling. “If I let you go; will you promise not to hit me?”

  “Beth,” he started but he began laughing, “you pack quite a punch.”

  She began laughing and soon they both were laughing uncontrollably. He rolled off her and they lay there side by side laughing. They would stop laughing but when one tried to speak they began laughing all over again. Tears ran down their faces.

  Beth said, her voice squeaky with laughter, “You should have seen your face when I hit you.” Then she got serious, “Oh my God, I didn’t really hurt you did I, Jack?”

  Jack just closed his eyes and groaned.

  She elbowed him in the side, rolled back on top of him so that she was astraddle of him again grabbed his wrists pinning him to the bed. “You scared me, Jack. I thought I’d really hurt you.”

  “You did. I think you broke my nose.” He smiled then he became serious. “I love you Beth. I have for years. I just now realized it. We were raised so closely that I always thought such feelings were wrong and I pushed them out of my mind. You and Sonny are my best friends and you are like a sister to me. No, now listen to me.” Beth had opened her mouth to speak. “You can’t blame me for being confused but I know now that you are the only girl I’ll ever love.”

  Beth let go of Jack’s wrists and put a hand on each side of his face and began kissing him vigorously all over his face.

  Jack began squirming and said, “Hey, watch out for my nose.”

  “Oh Jack, does it hurt? I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” She very carefully and softly kissed his nose.

  Jack looked up at her and said, “Well, that makes it feel better.”

  He rolled her off him so that she lay beside him. He kissed her and said “I better clean up and we better get downstairs.”

  She said, “Better yet, we could lock the door and stay here for the rest of the week.”

  Jack smiled, kissed her tenderly and held her close. “I want to stay here with you forever. I don’t want to ever let you go.”

  A feeling of warmth and comfort came over them. Beth snuggled closer and Jack buried his face in her long hair and kissed her neck.

  With his nose filled with clotted blood and his face in her neck he mumbled “We had better get downstairs.”

  She laughed and pulled away from him. Propping herself up on an elbow, she looked down on him and said with a serious voice, “Jack, I believe your voice is changing.”

  He laughed and said, “Your voice would change too if you had been popped in the nose as hard as I was.”

  She jumped out of bed, smoothed her dress with her hands and said, “At least you were gentleman enough not to get blood on me. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  She took him over to the wash basin and wet another towel and began washing the blood off his face and neck. There was blood on his shirt, coat and pants.

  “You’re going to have to change cloths, Jack. That’s all there is to it. You’re a mess.”

  “Come with me. I don’t want to let you out of my sight.”

  “Jack, me go to a man’s room and watch him disrobe? What kind of girl do you think I am?”

  “Beth, we’ve been living in a small cabin for three years. You didn’t seem to mind then.” He laughed.

  “Things are different now, Jack and they will never be the same. We’re going to have to be careful.”

  The mood had changed. The serious implications of the change in their relationship were beginning to dawn on them.

  “I know. We are going to have to think about this. We will need to talk it over. But come with me anyway. I’ll change in the bed room. You can wait in the sitting room.”

  As Beth waited in the sitting room of Jack and Sonny’s suite, she too began to think of the last five years. What would have happened to them if they hadn’t followed Uncle Frank to the cave. They would have been your average prodigy teenagers doing average prodigy teen age things. Instead they were adventurers doing adventurer things, living with the Cheyenne, mining gold, fighting Dirty Earl, Curly Bob and Slim and the best of all, finding Anne. Anne had given her female companionship that she needed. It wasn’t that she didn’t love the boys. She was glad to be a part of their lives and part of this adventure. But she could talk to Anne. She could tell her things that the boys wouldn’t understand and most likely didn’t want to hear.

  There was a difference between boys and girls that was more than physical, she thought. She smiled and thought “They don’t think like us. They don’t act like us and they don’t perceive things like we do.” Her smile broadened, “But they’re kinda fun to have around.”

  Jack was watching her from the door and said, “Watcha thinkin?”

  It gave her a little start.

  “Nothing much, just thinking of the last five years.”

  “Me too, I’ve been thinking of our lives and how they have changed and what we have done and what we have gone through. I’ve also been thinking of home.”

  Beth looked at him a long time. She walked over to him, took hold of both hands and looked into his eyes and said in a low voice, “Me too. Do you think we will ever go back? Can we go back and the big question, do we even want to go back?”

  “I don’t know Beth. It’s hard to think about. We’re going to have to talk it over with Sonny.”

  “And Anne,” said Beth “She’s as much a part of this as you, me and Sonny.”

  “Yeah, I know. That’s what makes it so hard.”

  “Yeah……” She tugged his hands and said softly “Let’s go downstairs.”

  They walked down the hall to the elevator. Jack had his arm around Beth’s waist. They both looked like they were going to a funeral.

  She put her head on his shoulder and said, “Don’t say anything to Anne or Sonny about going home. Let’s make this a perfect evening.”

  “Yeah,” Jack said, his mood changing. He smiled and said, “This is the first vacation we’ve had in five years. Let’s make it a good one. One we’ll remember the rest of our lives.”

  Beth stepped away from him. She held his hand and beamed, “You’re right. It is our first vacation and no one deserves it better than we do. Let’s do make it one to remember.”

  Their mood had gone from a woe is me to one of ebullience. They were young. They were healthy. And best of all they were rich.

  Heads turned as they swept out of the elevator hand in hand, laughing and walked through the lobby to the dining room. Jack was six two and Beth was almost six feet tall. With the heels on her shoes and her hair put up, it made her look taller. The hard physical labor of the last three years had left its mark and had sculpted their bodies. They had that vibrant, healthy look that only the young have.

  Earlier, Sonny and Anne had caused a similar stir but not many women could attract attention like Beth with her height and stunning looks. At least for that night, they were the prefect couple and they felt it.

  They entered the hotel dining room and walked to their table. Sonny and Anne were too interested in themselves to notice Beth and Jack until they were at the table and sitting down.

  They looked up to greet Beth and Sonny but both fixed their gaze on Jack. Jack’s nose was swollen and red and both of eyes were black.

  Sonny gave a sly knowing smile. Anne was aghast.

  As Jack sat down she leapt up and put an arm around Jack’s shoulders and gently touched his nose. Jack flinched.

  “My God Jack,” she said with genuine concern, “what happened?”

  Jack didn’t hesitate. “Beth popped me.”

  He shrugged his shoulders, bowed his head and said softly “What can I say? I’m putty in her hands.” He lifted his head up, blinked his eyes and gave Anne his best innocent look.


  Sonny turned his head slightly to the side, raised his eyebrows and said “Yes, I see that is true. Look how she reshaped your nose.”

  Before Beth could say anything Sonny affected an English accent and said “Ah sweet sister, did this poor, ignorant brute try to force himself upon you in the only manner he knew how? Did he try to work his churlish, boorish way with you?

  Who could blame you for trying to defend yourself?

  Well struck, I say. Shall I have the servants take the poor simpleton outside and give him a sound thrashing?”

  The last word was no sooner out of his mouth, when Beth gave a strangled cry and jumped across the table hitting her brother in the chest and shoulders with her full weight. Plates and silverware went flying. Sonny was knocked backwards falling on his back, his chair splintering. Beth landed on top of him. Her skirts and petticoats flew up over her head, covering both her and Sonny.

  Jack and Anne were startled by Beth’s assault but not surprised. As the table turned over, Jack stood up and in mock dignity took Anne’s arm and led her to the adjacent table. He pulled the chair out for her. She sat down and primly began to smooth and arrange her dress. Both studiously ignored Beth and Sonny as the brother and sister wallowed on the floor.

  Except for Beth thrashing around and cursing her brother, the Restaurant was dead quiet. Both guests and staff were horrified.

  The maître d' was the first to react. He motioned three waiters to follow him and hurried to pull Beth off Sonny.

  As one of the waiters passed Jack, Jack grabbed his arm. The man stopped and Jack said “Would you be so kind as to bring me and this beautiful lady a pitcher of lemon aide?” The man looked at Jack and then over to a struggling Beth in confusion. Jack tugged at his arm, slipped a twenty-dollar gold piece into the waiter’s hand and said, “Bring four glasses. Will you?”

  The man looked at Jack as if he was crazy and then the waiter looked at what Jack had placed in his hand, smiled and said, “Right away sir.” He hurried off to the kitchen.

  When the maître d' and the two other waiters arrived, the maître d' paused and dithered of a moment. He then nervously motioned for the two waiters to pull Beth off Sonny.

  When Beth was off him, Sonny’s first thought was to say to the waiters, “Thank God you’ve arrived. What took you so long? This mad woman tried to kill me.” He thought better of it and instead as he got to his feet, he gave the maître d' an aloof look and said “What time is dinner served?”

  The maître d' began to stammer. Finally, he composed himself, grabbed the bottom of his vest with both hands, gave the vest a firm downward jerk and said with as much dignity as he could muster, “Between five and ten PM, sir.”

  “Thank you,” said Sonny.

  One of the waiters was helping Beth to her feet. Her dress was still up around her shoulders. The waiter pulled it off her shoulders and was trying to smooth it down past her hips.

  Beth jerked away from the waiter and said, “Pervert! Get away from me!” She then stepped over to her brother and took his arm.

  She looked at the table, the scattered silverware and over turned table. She looked sharply at the maître d' and said in a sharp voice. “Look at this mess! What kind of restaurant are you running here?”

  She turned to her brother and said in a haughty voice, “Take me to our table, Sonny.”

  At first the maître d' was taken aback. He regained his composure and said to the two waiters, “Well, just don’t stand there! Clean this mess up!” He straightened his back, turned on his heel and walked away.

  Sonny and Beth stepped over to the table where Jack and Anne were sitting. Sonny pulled a chair out for Beth and seated her. He then sat down next to her.

  At first no one said anything. The Beth tried to speak but all that came was stifled laughter. Beth couldn’t hold it. She began to laugh uncontrollably. She grabbed her sides, bent double at the waist and fell face forward into the table. Her forehead landing with a loud clunk, rattling the glasses and silver wear.

  The maître d' turned sharply towards the sound and thought he was going to faint. He grabbed onto the waiter next to him to keep from falling.

  The whole table was now laughing uncontrollably. Beth kept trying to say something but nothing except laughter would come out. She said in a high pitched laugh voice, “Here…. Here…. Here….” high pitched laughter. She tried to stop but all she got for her efforts were guttural snorting sounds through her nose.

  She sat bolt upright, holding her sides, gasping for breath. It looked like she had finally gained control. She had stopped laughing, looked down at her dress and began to straighten her bodice.

  Sonny was wiping tears from his eyes. Anne and Jack, except for an occasional snicker, had stopped.

  Beth looked up from her bodice straightening. Her face was calm. She looked around the table as if nothing had happened. She opened her mouth to say something. It was the wrong thing to do. All she could do was howl in laughter. She then fell out of her chair. When she hit the floor, she landed with a loud thud.

  They were sitting at a round table that would normally seat eight people. Jack and Anne were seated across from Beth and Sonny was seated next to Beth. If Jack leaned to the left, he could just see the top of Beth’s head. Anne could see Beth’s feet.

  Sonny looked down at his sister out of the corner of his eye and then looked straight ahead. Beth’s face was beet red and covered in tears.

  By now Beth was whooping with laughter. This went on for about three excruciating minuets. Beth was now gasping with an occasional shriek. She was making weak attempts to pull herself upright. All she managed to do was pull her chair over on herself. She didn’t have enough strength to push the chair off her.

  Sonny finally took pity on her, picked up the chair and with great effort lifted his limp, giggling sister onto it.

  Beth put both hands on the table to steady herself and to hopefully keep her from falling back onto the floor. She was breathing heavily as if she had just run a great distance. Her hair was a mess.

  When she could finally speak, she said between big sloppy snickers “Here we are in the biggest city in the west, in the newest, finest hotel in the country.” She started laughing through clenched teeth. After a few seconds she regained control and said, “We are dressed up in something more than work clothes or buckskins for the first time in five years and what happens?” Once again she began laughing. She leaned back in her chair, her neck too weak to hold her head upright so that it lolled around like she was drunk. When she finally stopped laughing, she sat up straight and patted her hair as if trying to straighten it and said, “What happens? I jump over the table and try and kill Sonny.” The last part of the sentence was in a high pitched laughing voice.

  The three of them looked at Beth as if she were from another planet.

  Beth composed herself and looked back at them with a calm expressionless face. She said in a matter of fact voice “I think I peed my pants. Anne, would you be a dear and come with me back to the room?”

  Beth stood up on wobbly feet and took a step to steady herself. Anne was caught by surprise, jumped up and hurried to Beth’s side. She took Beth by the arm and they both walked purposely out of the dining room.

  As Beth past the maître d' she said in a harsh voice, “What in the Hell are you looking at?”

  The maître d' who had been watching Beth’s every move snapped his head and eyes forward and looked straight ahead.

  Both girls began laughing. They were both still laughing as they entered the lobby. Beth said, “I’d better stop this or I’ll end up on the floor again.”

  The boys could hear them laughing all the way in the dining room. It stopped only when the elevator closed to take the girls upstairs.

  There sat Sonny and Jack staring across a large table at each other.

  “I ordered a pitcher of lemonade,” said Jack.

  “That’s nice,” said Sonny.

  For the next three weeks the four of t
hem explored San Francisco, lounged around the hotel and taught Anne how to play bridge.

  They went to the Barbary Coast. It was a rough and tumble place, full of bars, gambling, music halls and whore houses. As Jack said, they had to live the whole experience, the whole enchilada. In another forty years the Coast would be shut down. He said it was a unique opportunity not to be missed.

  They visited the shops and restaurants of China town. Beth, Sonny and Jack were able to practice their Cantonese and Mandarin. They introduced Anne to Chinese food and the girls bought bolts of beautiful Chinese silk to have dress made.

  They rented the hotel’s top floor and turned one of the corner suites into a music room. They had a grand piano brought in and Jack was able to cobble together a set of drums.

  They rolled back the rugs and would sing and dance to the songs of the twentieth century. The girls had short, pleated dresses made, cut just above the knee so they could jitter bug and bop.

  It became apparent, because of the noise, that they would have to rent the rooms below and to the side their music room. They ended up renting the top floor and about a quarter of the floor below them. They had the hotel erect temporary doors to block off the downstairs rooms they had rented so that the other hotel guests couldn’t wander into the area below the music room.

  It wasn’t just because of the noise; they didn’t want any of the music influencing the nineteenth century.

  As soon as they had the music room to their specifications, they spent at least two days a week playing music, dancing and singing. It was the only connection to the twentieth century. Anne loved it. She had taken to this futuristic music like a duck to water.

  One day they were playing James Brown when Beth for no apparent reason sat down at the piano and began to play Dusty Springfield’s “If You Go Away”.

  As usual when a sad song was sung Anne shed a tear. The other three had long ago given up on her. They just figured she was an incorrigible romantic.

  When Beth had finished the song Sonny said “You got the refrain wrong.”

  “What do you mean I got the refrain wrong?” Beth snapped.